Archive for the ‘games’ Category


Melrose Area Scout Troop 68 holds a Troop Auction following its December court of honor. This auction is a tradition that has been held for over 30 years. The first was held in 1987.

The Scouts use “Troop Bucks” they have earned during the year to bid on prizes. Troop Bucks, which are not real money, are earned by attending outings, earning merit badges, and earning ranks. The more active a Scout is during the year, the more Troop Bucks he will earn. The Troop Bucks are handed out during the December court of honor. Any bucks not spend may be saved by the Scout to use in next year’s auction.

There were fifteen prizes for the 2022 auction. The total cost of the prizes was only $120. Some of the prizes were donated. Surprisingly, the most expensive prize was the Boy Scout Handbook at a $25 cost. The item sold for the lowest bid happened to be a Scout web belt. Bids were place in $5 increments.

Once the bidding began it was fun to watch the Scouts. Some items were quite popular and had a lot of bids. Sometimes you could tell a Scout or two was bidding just to raise the stakes, hoping they would not get stuck with the item. Sometimes a Scout really wanted the item but did not have enough Troop Bucks to bid high enough to get the prize. In total, the Scouts bid a combined $3440 for the prizes.

So, what were the prizes and what were the final bids? Boy Scout Handbook – $160. Troop 68 Tee Shirt – $230. BSA Web Belt – $65. BSA Bolo Tie – $125. Merit Badge Sash with Clip – $350. Five piece Mess Kit – $125. Lock Blade Knife – $400. LED Flashlight – $175. Smartphone Adjustable Stand – $205. Pair of Carabiners – $150. Rawling Baseball – $175. Sharpening Stone with case – $310. Fleece Throw Blanket – $330. Gamer 3 Ring Binder (with a hidden $20 bill) – $450. Laptop Bag – $190.

More fun came after the auction ended. Some Scouts were trading their winnings with other Scouts. It seemed that all the Scouts were happy after the trading ended.

The goal for the October 2022 outing for the Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 was to play three disc golf courses in one day. The plan was to start playing in St. Cloud at the Calvary Park course (18 holes), move to the the Millstream Park course (18 holes) after lunch, and finish the afternoon at the North Park course in Albany (9 holes). Unfortunately, plans need to change sometimes.

Disc golf is usually a popular sport with Troop 68, but due to high school sports, hunting seasons, and family plans there was a small group of Scouts who signed up for the activity. There would be only three Scouts and one friend attending, along with three adult leaders.

It was a cool morning when we arrived at Calvary Park. The Scouts decided to play as one large group instead of breaking up into two smaller groups. I did not have a problem with that but I knew it would increase the amount of time to finish the course. Depending on how well we played we may have to alter our plans a little. The other consideration was that this group did not have a lot of experience playing disc golf.

Due to a number of factors it did take longer to play the Calvary Park 18 hole course. We were about 45 minutes late heading to lunch. It was time to alter our plans for the day. I suggested that we skip the Millstream Park course in St. Joseph and head straight to Albany. The Albany course has nine baskets but 18 tee pads. We could play all 18 holes at Albany instead of just nine, which was the original plan. Since the goal was to be fished playing disc golf by suppertime the Scouts agreed to the change.

We had a lot of fun. We talked a little smack. The Scouts with the top three scores each received a new disc golf throwing disc as a prize. Since we had four new discs, each of the Scouts and the one friend went home with a new disc.

Overall, it was a great activity. The four boys had fun. They improved their game skills, and each went home with a new disc. What more could you ask for?

The sport of disc golf has been a part of the Scouting program at many Boy Scout camps for decades. Many Scout camps have disc golf courses. I was introduced to the sport back in 1981 at Crow Wing Scout Camp. They did not have baskets to throw discs into at the time so we had to hits the posts to finish each hole. It was very challenging but also very fun, and it was a great troop activity.

During the last couple decades disc golf became more popular with the Scouts of Melrose area Troop 68. We would schedule a time to play when we were at a camp that had a course. For several years we held a disc golf marathon day in which we would play at two of three different courses in central Minnesota. We would keep scores and award prizes to the Scouts who had the best scores.

As new Scouts joined our troop and played disc golf for the first time, I would encourage them to learn how to throw and work on their skills, not try to be the best and take the top place. That takes practice and lots of playing. Even though we handed out prizes during our outings I always stressed we were doing this for the fun of being together and beings outdoors. Of course, talking a little smack during the game was allowed as long as it did not get mean spirited, and the Scouts understood this.

Being a player of disc golf myself I have a nice disc collection I take with me on the course. I may not know what each disc one is for but it makes me feel like I know something. I have also collected several Scouting themed discs that have become part of my Scouting collection and are not used on the course. Some of these discs were bought at camp while other were bought through the Scout Shop. In this video I display the discs I have purchased and added to my collection.

This video can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAfhA9L0CO8

Thank you for watching. I hope you enjoy it.

The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 like to play disc golf. They enjoy the game so much that they have added it as an activity to their yearly program for a few years. They also enjoy playing a round if a course is available at a camp they are staying at over a weekend.

The troop was first introduced to the sport in 1981 while attending summer camp at Crow Wing Scout Reservation which was located near Nevis, Minnesota. There were not any baskets found on this nine hole course, just round wood posts with a small numbered sign located near the top of each. Instead of trying to throw the disc into a basket we needed to hit the post to complete a hole.

Each spring the troop spends a weekend on some private land north of Melrose that the Scouts call Camp Watchamagumee. They will usually set up a course in the woods and use trees as the “holes”. Yellow cation tape is used to mark the trees and is removed as the boys complete the course.

On Saturday, March 24th, the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 will be holding this year’s disc golf marathon. Instead of traveling to the St. Cloud metro area as they have done for the last few years, the Scouts have decided to visit a course they have not played for awhile, and try two newer courses in central Minnesota.

The course in Albany, located about twelve miles from Melrose, is a nine basket course with 18 tee pads, so it can be played as an eighteen hole course. This course has been around for several years so a few of the Scouts have already played this course.

The course in Long Prairie was installed a few years ago. It is a nine hole course the winds its way through a wooded park located on the south side of town. This will be the first time the troop will play on this course.

The third course is a brand new one installed last year in the small town of Upsula. This nine hole course was an Eagle Scout project so it may have a special meaning to the Scouts as they play a round on it.

The Scouts will be keeping their scores as the play in this year’s marathon. They will play eighteen holes in Albany, and nine holes at the other courses. The scores will be added at the end of the day to discover the best overall score of the day. The three Boy Scouts with the best scores will each win a set of three disc golf discs. Although the adults will be playing alongside of the Scouts they will not be eligible to win the disc sets, but they could still earn bragging rights.

Do the Boy Scouts of your troop enjoy the sport of disc golf? How often does your troop play the game?

The carnival came to Melrose during the weekend of September 8-9. It was not brought to town by the Chamber of Commerce or any local service groups. It was brought to town by a group of of people in town who felt Melrose needed a fall event to bring its citizens together for a weekend of fun and excitement. The two day event also included several vendor booths, live music, and a classic car show.

The parents of one of the Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 were two of the people who organized this event. They asked the troop to assist with one of the activities in which children could purchase a ticket for 50 cents to play one of several games to win a prize. The money raised would go to the local food shelf. It looked like it would be a fun service project for the Boy Scouts.

There were five games the Scouts would be in charge of running. One was a Hot Wheels toy car race track. The other games were bottle ring toss, a bean bag toss, a bottle set up challenge, and a disc golf putting challenge. Early on it appeared that we may have trouble finding enough Scouts to work the games but when the day arrived we had plenty of help, along with a few parents.

The games were only open for four hours Saturday afternoon but they did very well. The Scouts had fun along with the children who played the games. Even a few parents got into the spirit of trying their skills. Over $120 was raised for the local food shelf. It was a pretty good, and pretty fun service project.

lbp002I have been more active with Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68 during the last few months as our new scoutmaster gets comfortable with his new position. I have invited the Patrol Leaders Council to once again hold their meetings at my house which has given me the opportunity to assist in their training and answer any questions of the new scoutmaster.

As the Boy Scouts planned their monthly agenda, I encouraged them to plan a different game for each of the weekly troop meetings. I also asked them to only use one game from the previous month. This adds for variety during the meetings and forces the youth leadership to think a bit more when they do their planning.

When the Scouts were planning their November meetings during the October patrol leader council meeting they were coming up short on game time ideas as they tried to follow my suggestion. I mentioned a game I have not seen the troop play in a few years. I gave them a brief summary of the games rules and the boys quickly added it to the meeting plan for November 21st.

The meeting arrived. It was time to play the game. I soon discovered that not one of the Scouts attending the meeting had played this game. I thought that a few of the older boys had played it when they were younger but I was wrong. I was surprised that it had been a few years since the troop had used this game during a meeting.

I explained the rules of the game, and also told them it was a game that they would probably never play in school because it can be a pretty rough and tumble game. I had them take off their uniform shirts to prevent any damage, and told the boys who were wearing boots to remove them. We did not want anyone getting hurt after all.

It was time to begin. The Scouts had a blast! They also had quite the workout. Most of them were breathing hard by the end of the game. I have a feeling this game will start getting used more often in the upcoming months.

Have you guessed what the game is yet? It is called British Bulldog, a game played by Boy Scouts since the start of the program in the early 1900’s. I would bet Lord Baden-Powell watched a few games of this being played. This old game had become new again to another group of Boy Scouts in central Minnesota.

Does your troop play British Bulldogs? Does the game wear them out?

Boy Scouts will do a lot of things for the first time. It could be the first time tying a bowline, or the first time climbing a wall, or the first time away from home for a whole weekend. Even adult leaders will do many new things for the first time. Most of the time these “first times” are so enjoyable that the boys cannot wait for the “second time”.

I have been surprised when Scouting introduces the boys to a game that they have never played even though it has been around for generations. It makes me think that sometimes the boys need to get out of the house more often.

For example, I have been playing disc golf for decades. I find it to be fun, challenging, and a great way to get some exercise. The first time I suggested to the troop that we play disc golf at summer camp I received quite a few “what are you talking about?” expressions from the boys. I explained the rules to the Scouts and we have been playing the game ever since.

Two Boy Scout camps that we attend, Camp Stearns and Many Point Scout Camp, have disc golf courses. If we spend a weekend somewhere without a course we will create our own. Last year, we played nine holes in the winter while wearing snowshoes. It was the first time many of us had worn snowshoes.

Another “first time” game was while the troop was staying at Camp Stearns one winter weekend. I suggested to the boys that we play broomball. The Scouts had never heard of the game but were willing to give it a try. They had a great time playing it and it is now a part of our winter outing every year.

As a scoutmaster, I always enjoy the moments when I have a chance to introduce the Boy Scouts to something new. When you look back at your own Scouting career, what were some of the games that you introduced to your Boy Scouts for the first time?

100 Days Of Scouting: Day 25.

It is a gadget I would like to get, but I do not have one yet. Even my mother would like to have one after playing with the one my sister-in-law owns. I am sure many of you would like one if you do not already own one. What am I talking about? The iPad, of course. It has been available for nearly a year. I decided to see if there were any apps available for it. There are several apps for the iPod Touch after all. (Yes, I realize that iPhone apps also work on the iPad, but I wanted to see apps specially made for the larger format.)

When I typed “Boy Scout” into the iTunes search box it came up with 21 apps for the iPod Touch and iPhone, but only seven for the iPad. There were only five iPhone apps for “Cub Scout”  and three for the iPad. Type “Scouting” into the search and you get apps for Boy Scouting and sports. When you narrow it down to just Boy Scout or Cub Scout apps we have ten for the iPhone and four for the iPad.

Two Cub Scout based iPad apps that caught my eye were “Pack Badges” ($3.99) and “Pinewood Derby” ($1.99). The Pack Badges app allows you to track advancement requirements for the Cub Scout awards and several special awards, and it allows you to track multiple Scouts. It has received a 4.5 star rating from its users. The Pinewood Derby game app allows you to build a Pinewood Derby car and then race it. There seems to be some problems with it though. Users only gave it a two star rating and complain about it crashing a lot.

Two Boy Scout related apps that caught my attention were “Camping Manual” ($2.99) and “Troop Badges” ($5.99). The Camping Manual app is exactly what it says. It is a manual with lots of all season camping tips. It has not yet been rated  enough by its users to earn an average. Troop Badges is similar to Pack Badges in that it allows you to track multiple Boy Scouts through their advancement progress. It has earned a four star rating.

I have not used any of these apps, yet. I would like to hear from those of you who have. Are they worth the money? Should I download them when I finally purchase an iPad? Do you have a favorite Scouting app that I have not listed? Has the BSA produced any iPad apps yet? Let me know.